by: Andy Hoke
We recently published a grid-forming field demonstration report which details the operation of two large-scale GFM PV-BESS plants on Kauai, Hawaii. This is the first demonstration in the U.S. of two large-scale GFM plants connected to the same transmission system. Totaling 27 MW AC, the two plants represent a substantial portion of the total system load, which varies between about 40 and 70 MW on a typical day. The report highlights the two grid-forming PV-BESS plants’ ability to stabilize the KIUC system during severe events such as a sudden loss of 60% of generation. We also studied the GFM IBRs’ ability to mitigate an island-wide, IBR-driven 18-Hz oscillatory mode. The report also compares the performance of Kauai’s GFM IBRs to UNIFI’s specifications for GFM IBRs, Version 3 of which was released earlier this year.
